Faith-based adoption agency sues after Michigan settlement

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A faith-based adoption agency is suing Michigan, challenging a settlement that prevents them from refusing to put children in LGBT homes for religious reasons.

St. Vincent Catholic Charities and a couple who adopted five children filed a federal lawsuit Monday, less than a month after Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the agreement. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan sued the state in 2017 on behalf of lesbian couples who allege they were turned away because they're gay.

Michigan contracts with private agencies to place children from troubled homes with new families.

A Republican-enacted law says child-placement agencies aren't required to provide any services that conflict with their religious beliefs. But the settlement says the law does not apply if agencies are under contract with the state.

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